


Partners of Adversity

by Merfilly



Category: Talents Series - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-26
Updated: 2010-06-26
Packaged: 2017-10-10 07:07:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/97015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laria is suffering, and Kincaid soothes her</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partners of Adversity

Laria flinched at the noise of her 'Dini pals coming in and being their typical happy selves. They immediately stopped, consulting each other, before very dramatically making their silent way out of the room the Prime was resting in. They knew she felt badly, and Dreaming was not the cure this time.

Five minutes later, Kincaid came in, frowning and quiet. "We've got to get you off Clarf." He had noticed this pattern, severe headaches that were approaching true overstrain of Talent every day after the heavy loads were shifted. "Maybe your sisters can come back here for a time?"

"Morag and Kaltia aren't up to the strain," she said, but her head throbbed at her own voice. Kincaid settled himself up at the headboard, letting her move slowly, gingerly, into his lap so he could use his hands on her temples, shoulders, and neck in an attempt to alleviate the near blinding headache. She wanted to close her eyes, but the after-spots were sickening to her.

"You are not coping as well with Clarf's heat or lighting as you did before the pregnancy. There's no harm in asking to swap with another Prime until you've delivered." He used the metamorphic massage techniques that most Talents preferred. "Much as I want to be there when you have the baby, I could stay on, bolster your sisters."

She wrapped her kinetic energy around him abruptly, and as abruptly had to let it fall as her head pounded distinctly in tempo to her pulse.

"What if you have to drop kinesis in the middle of a lift, Laria dear? While I am good, I'm not good enough to protect a cradle launch or a ship from that much dumping my way."

"You'd do it. My father had to do something like that because of my mother," Laria protested, her voice soft.

"I'm fond of you, Laria, but the thing between your parents? Is scary complicated and tight," Kincaid said with a warm chuckle. "I think your father could balk the Rowan herself if it involved your mother."

"He has." Laria let her eyes close as the massage pulled at her to sleep, despite the pain in her skull. "You're right though. With you to lean on, the Tower'd stay operational without straining anyone over much."

"Let me see if your sisters can spell you then. You go home, have this baby, and then come back here for me to spoil it rotten," Kincaid reasoned. His touch soothed, and the low level mental crooning he had begun was settling her further.

"You get to deal with him when he breaks every heart in the FT&amp;T," Laria muttered sleepily, not even realizing she had added a gender at first. They'd tried to keep it a surprise, from themselves, but her block wasn't working in the face of her strained resources.

Kincaid just smiled, pleased that his Prime was comfortable enough with him that he could take care of her, and that none of their messy history really sat as baggage on their friendship.

"I'll do that."


End file.
